Corren Johnson, Baltimore’s director of transportation for the last two years, has resigned effective immediately, Mayor Brandon Scott said Thursday.

The department’s chief administration officer, Veobia Akilo, will replace Johnson, who led the department as interim director before she was confirmed to the post in July 2023. Akilo will begin her work as interim director immediately.

Interviews for Johnson’s permanent replacement are already underway, according to two people with knowledge of the process but not permitted to speak publicly on the matter.

“I would like to thank Director Johnson for her dedication and commitment to the city of Baltimore and our residents,” said Scott in a press release. “I am confident that Interim Director Akilo will continue to advance our shared vision for improving the delivery of City services and building a more efficient, equitable Baltimore.”

Johnson took the helm of the agency in 2022, and made some strides to combat chronic understaffing and reorganize the struggling department. But her tenure was marked by swirling political headwinds and bureaucratic inefficiencies — many beyond her control, according to some advocates — that slowed many projects, everything from bridge work and road resurfacing to installing bike lanes and speed humps.

The department also struggled with consistent community engagement and transparency, often getting grilled by residents and city councilors during hearings, and has kept information about many projects close to the vest.

City Council President Zeke Cohen told The Baltimore Banner he is “grateful for her [Johnson’s] service,” but declined to comment further.

“Baltimore has a lot of potential to grow and improve and plenty of room to be excited about what’s to come in transportation, and I’m hopeful that the administration is moving us in a positive direction with the director to come,” said Councilman Ryan Dorsey, the newly minted chair of the council’s Land Use and Transportation Committee.

Dorsey, who was the only member of the council to vote against confirming Johnson last year, has also advocated for the Scott administration to add a deputy mayor for transportation, which he thinks could build stronger momentum for DOT projects.

Jed Weeks, executive director of bike advocacy group Bikemore, thanked Johnson for her service but urged the Scott administration to hire a leader with “expertise implementing safer, more accessible streets.”

Bikemore, which at times has been both a strong advocate and fierce critic of the department, issued a series of tweets on X, saying turnover in the department is the result of a lack of clear vision and direction from the mayor and City Council.

“We need a unified vision on transportation and public works coming from City Hall if we want any DOT director to find success,” the group wrote.

Liam Davis, who worked closely with Johnson as the department’s legislative affairs manager but was dismissed from his post after an unsuccessful run for City Council, declined to comment.

Johnson oversaw the department on an interim basis as the city finalized a controversial deal involving Baltimore’s conduit system. The agreement, which Scott pushed through over objections from many on the City Council, shifted responsibility for capital improvements for the city’s 700-mile underground utility system to Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, the system’s biggest user. The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, a state office that advocates for Maryland utility customers, said at the time that BGE stands to profit from the agreement by passing on capital improvement costs to customers.

Prior to her role as interim director, Johnson served as DOT’s chief engineer and deputy director for complete streets. Before joining the city in September 2021, she worked for 17 years with the Maryland State Highway Administration. Johnson was the city’s second female director of transportation.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct that Baltimore's conduit system deal with BGE is for capital improvements.